We are offering specially shaped introduction tours to the international Auroville Community and to cultural and nature heritage sites of neighboring South India. The tours are offered in the time frames August to October and December to March.

Below you can find examples of itineraries of these tours. You can book the two tour parts independently from each other (11 days Auroville Introduction / 9 days South India Tour) or as a 20 days complete package.

Prices are about

• 900 US Dollar for the 11 days AVI Introduction (incl. comfortable guest house lodging, breakfast, lunch, dinner, all guided and tailored program parts. Not included roundtrip to/from India) and
  
  
• 1.100 US Dollar for the 9 days South India Tour (incl. comfortable hotel lodging, breakfast, lunch, dinner, guided sightseeings, connecting inland flight, entrance fees etc. Not included roundtrip to/from India).

All prices subject to change according to US Dollar rates (status above shows November 2007).

Bonus and Philosophy of this particular Auroville Introduction

Parts of the program can be tailored to your specific interests. For instance there are many options available to co-work in fields like farms, shops, schools, healing facilities etc. There are chances to meet representatives of different projects. If you want to offer something to Auroville like a workshop or a presentation, this could be arranged too. In general these arrangements have to be done before the tour starts (in communication with Sunwolfcreations) .

Find more about Auroville at www.auroville.org

Auroville Introduction Program

Sample of Itinerary

Day 1
Noon: Welcome in the Aurovilian guest house.
Afternoon presentation of program, brief Auroville introduction. Afterwards first walk

Day 2
Morning: Bicycling to Visitor´s Center, visit of exhibitions (Auroville and Matrimandir), Video introduction into the Auroville Project, afterwards walk to Matrimandir and Banyan Tree. Visit of Amphitheater.
Afternoon: Free

Day 3
Morning: Visit of Town Hall (Financial Service: money change, guest account). Auroville project Deepam. Afterwards Health Center, Bakery, Pour Tous.
Afternoon: Introduction into the work of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. Description of Sri Aurobindo Ashram

Day 4
Morning: Meditation at Amphitheater. Afterwards: Visit of Auroville with bicycle: Cultural and Residential Zone.
Afternoon: Workshop to the topic of Integral Yoga

Day 5
Morning: Excursion to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Puduchery. Meditation at Samadhi and visit of Handmade Paper Factory and other Ashram units (Fleur en Flacon, Sabda, Auroshika). Lunch in town (additional)
Afternoon: Visit of an Ashram exhibition. Afterwards free for walking and shopping in downtown.

Day 6
Morning: Village of Kottakarai. Ganesh Bakery. Visit and chance to work in a small AV workshop .
Afternoon: Auroville community of Pitchandikulam: Seed bank and traditional herbal medicine

Day 7
Morning: Village of Kottakarai. Visit of the Auroville community of Verité and the AV unit ? Naturellement? (Udyogam). Visit of Life Education Center, talk with Serena, social worker of Village Action (village development department of Auroville).
Afternoon: Walk to Matrimandir, sightseeing and introduction with Gilles.

Day 8
Morning: Auroville community of Samriddhi, introduction to the legendary afforestation work of Auroville.
Afternoon: Walk to Unity Pavilion, interactive sharing about the meaning of Auroville´s International Zone. Afterwards visit of International Zone.

Day 9
Morning: Free (beach)
Afternoon: Greenbelt community. Sharing circle about Integral Yoga in Auroville.

Day 10
Morning: Last School and its campus, sharing circle. Visit of Auroville Press.
Afternoon: Auroville community of Kottakarai and KOFPU, an unit for processing organic food which is grown on Auroville farms. Chance for co-working and talk with project holders.

Day 11
Morning: free (beach)
Afternoon: Auroville community of Upasana. Afterwards visit of Center of Scientific Research (solar technology, building with clay, other ecological projects
Evening: Closing Circle

South India Journey - Spirituality, Culture and Nature

Sample of Itinerary

Days 12-20

Following these intense days in Auroville you could be introduced to the spiritual and cultural heritage of southern India. During a fascinating nine-day tour a temple, wildlife reserve and beautiful natural spots of South India will be visited. 

Day 12: Thanjavur - Art Gallery and Brihadeswara Temple

Transfer from Auroville to Thanjavur. The art gallery inside the ancient Nayak Palace exhibits a unique collection of ritual sculptures in both bronze and stone dating back to the 9th till 12th century. This is the largest collection of sculptures expressing the different aspects of the Hindu deities as depicted during the Chola period. The Brihadeswara

Temple was built by the Chola King Raja Raja I during the 11th century. This temple is a
Cultural World Heritage site and represents a master piece of Chola architecture.
Hotel: Ideal River View Resort, Thanjavur.

Day 13: Madurai - Meenakshi-Temple

During the 6th till 10th century and again in 13th century Madurai was the marvelous capital of the Pandya emperors. The city was constructed around the Meenakshi temple. This beautiful temple with its colorful entrance towers was originally a sacred site of a local deity in pre-Hindu times. Later the goddess was seen as the consort of Shiva and worshiped under the name of Meenakshi.
Hotel: Park Plaza, Madurai

Days 14-15: Munnar - walk through picturesque mountain area

The Cardamom Hills rising up from the plains are a paradise for nature lovers and famous for its tea plantations. Iridescent colors streaking a clear sky, low clouds, chirping birds, green tea bushes spanning acres of land and meandering roads; Munnar is almost picture perfect in its beauty. Enjoy a guided walk which will give you the best experience of these impressive mountains and its extraordinary flora and fauna.
Hotel: Copper Castle, Munnar

Day 16: Thekkady - a place where pepper comes from

Ride through dark green tea plantations and settlements to Thekkady. A local guide will describe a variety of Indian spices while walking through a spice garden.
Hotel: Ambadi, Thekkady

Day 17: Periyar nature reserve - boat ride on the lake

The forests around Periyar Lake have been declared a nature reserve since 1934. During the boat ride through the many side branches of the lake you may see an elephant family and other wild animals feeding at the lake shore.
Hotel: Ambadi, Thekkady

Day 18: Backwaters of Kerala - Houseboat

Kumarakom is the starting place for a cruise on a houseboat through the vast romantic backwaters of Kerala. The peaceful atmosphere of this water landscape is a long meditation.

Overnight stay on a houseboat in Kumarakom 

Day 19: Cochin - Cultural capital of the Malabar Coast

Famous wall paintings in the palace of Matanacherry present scenes of the epic  The Ramayana . Inside the church of St. Francis, Vasco da Gama was buried. Cochin has the only Jewish synagogue in India with a floor made of hand painted Chinese tiles! In the evening Kathakali dancers entrance you with depictions of colorful mythological characters.
Hotel: Abad Plaza, Cochin

Day 20: Mahabalipuram and Farewell Dinner

Transfer by flight to Chennai, afternoon sightseeing at Mahabalipuram. Famous for its shore temple, Mahabalipuram was the second capital of the Pallava kings of Kanchipuram. The sculptures are particularly interesting, because they show scenes of day-to-day life. Farewell Dinner at an Airport Hotel

The Auroville introduction and the following South India tour are carried out by
"Auroville´s Travel Agency Inside India" and have been offered by Auroville International Germany for more than ten years.
Participants have given top rankings to these introductions to Auroville and South India and have described them as personally highly enriching.

Please let us know about your favorite time schedule (offered time frames see above) and your special interests (see Bonus and Philosophy above)

You are invited to call <001> (541) 482  7223 or to mail to:
info@sunwolfcreations.com
for your questions and more info.

last update: 12/30/2007